This invention relates to control systems for the pneumatically powered actuators of valves such as those often used in the pulp and paper, chemical and petroleum industries. More particularly, it relates to a system that provides for controlling the position of a pneumatically operated valve with an electrical control signal.
It is desirable to utilize piezo valves as part of a control system for a pneumatically powered valve actuator because piezo valves provide an extremely long cycle life and reliability, extremely low power requirements, and fast on/off times. However, the volume of air they pass is relatively small compared to the volume required to quickly move a control valve into a new adjusted position. In some industrial applications, a relatively significant force is required to achieve movement of the valve, necessitating a correspondingly large surface area on the part of the actuator exposed to air pressure. Piezo valves are typically unable to provide the sustained volume of air necessary over the surface area of the movable part.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a valve control system that utilizes piezo valves to take advantage of their inherently desirable characteristics, yet the volume of air supplied to the valve actuator of the system is boosted to such an extent that the actuator quickly repositions the valve into the desired adjusted position.
In carrying out the foregoing object, the present invention contemplates a system in which multiple piezo valves are subject to an electrical control signal to either initiate or terminate a pilot pneumatic output at the established control pressure. Such pilot output is in turn directed to appropriate valve assemblies of a volume booster circuit which is likewise connected to a source of pressurized gas at the same pressure as that supplied to the piezo valves. Thus, the pneumatic pilot signal from the piezo valves is used to determine the opened or closed state of valve assemblies in the booster mechanism. These booster valve assemblies are capable of passing much greater volumes of gas to the actuators than the small pilot signals produced by the piezo valves. Consequently, the instantaneous action of the piezo valves is obtained, along with sufficiently large volumes of gas to quickly move the operating part of the actuator.
The control system of the present invention utilizes pistons in the booster valve assemblies that operate on the principle of unequal piston areas on opposite operating surfaces thereof. Thus, both surfaces of the piston may be simultaneously exposed to the same operating pressure in the form of a pneumatic signal from the piezo valve and an operating volume from the gas source. However, even though the pressures are the same on both faces of the piston, the piston will be moved in a direction generally toward the smaller surface area because the total force on the piston is greater on the side with the larger surface area. In the preferred form of the invention, the side of the piston exposed to the pneumatic signal from the piezo valve is the side with the large surface area, while the side exposed directly to the gas source is the smaller.
In preferred forms, the control system may be either single-acting or double-acting. In a system configured for a single-acting actuator, the actuator has only one operating gas chamber on one side of its movable part, while a spring is disposed on the opposite side. In a double-acting version, pressure chambers are located on opposite sides of the movable part of the actuator so that pressurized gas is used to move the part in both of its adjusting directions of movement. In both versions, the control system is capable of moving the actuator in valve opening or valve closing directions, plus holding the actuator in a selected stationary position.
In its preferred form, each booster valve assembly utilizes a piston confined between a pair of diaphragms as the shut-off valve component within the assembly. The piston responds to the pneumatic pilot pressure to push one of the diaphragms into sealing engagement with the valve seat and thus close the operating flow path through the valve assembly. When pilot pressure on the large face side of the piston is absent, the source pressure on the small face side of the piston shifts it away from the diaphragm to permit the diaphragm to uncover and open the flow path.
A second embodiment of the valve assembly uses an integral piston and valve wherein one face of the piston is directly exposed to pilot pressure from the piezo valve and the other face of the piston is both directly exposed to operating pressure from the gas source and has a sealing surface that, when engaged with the valve seat, functions to close the valve assembly.
A third embodiment of the valve assembly uses a piston confined between a ball valve and a diaphragm. The ball valve directly opens and closes the valve seat rather than the piston, although the ball valve is physically moved by the piston as the piston responds to the presence or absence of pressure on its opposite sides.
A fourth embodiment of the valve assembly uses a smaller piston mounted within the larger piston for controlling minute air volumes or pulses. This smaller piston actuates a response to small pulses of air which allows for finer control of the valve""s movement. Thus, this actuation results in a more accurate control leading to better overall performance of the valve and the system. For example, with 80 psi supply air to the system, the pilot air has to bleed down to perhaps 25 psi before the piston opens. Because of the large size of the pistons that is required for speed on large valve moves, the minimum amount of movement is relatively large, however the smaller piston is sized to open up when the pilot air drops below 40 psi instead. Therefore, when small signal changes to the pilot air being bled off is between 40 to 25 psi, only the smaller piston will open up and not the larger piston. This allows for a much smaller volume of air to flow into and out of the actuator with a considerably smaller or finer valve movement. When larger signal changes occur, the pilot pressure is dropped below 25 psi and the larger piston will open up to allow for faster valve response.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.